You don’t need fancy power tools to cut wood: see how easy it is to use a miter box and saw for your home DIY projects!
How to use a miter box and saw to cut wood: DIY Basics
read more
My LA Balcony – Before and After
How time flies! It's already been a year since I transformed my balcony from a sad worn out unused outdoor space into a beautiful cozy outdoor room. It was a lot of work but it was well worth it: not only has it given me more usable square footage, it's also provided a much better view to look at from the inside of my apartment! The first part of the transformation entailed sprucing up the...
13 clever ways to give plain mirrors a new look
For small and dark apartments, using mirrors is an easy way to give the illusion of more space and at the same time reflect more light to brighten up a space. Looking for some inspiration for my apartment, I found these amazing DIY mirror makeovers on Hometalk: I especially love the use of rope for a nautical theme and the creative sunburst mirrors - you can find out more details about the...
Easy door upgrade with moulding
Many apartments have basic builder grade finishes that can be pretty plain and boring, and my apartment is no exception. I have very inexpensive hallow core doors that have zero character or architectural detail and they were screaming for some moulding detail. But being a renter, I had to figure out a creative way to do install it without making any holes or permanent changes to the door....
How to build a shoe rack or table to hide an AC unit
I finally did it! I’ve been wanting to hide the ugly AC unit ever since I moved in but I couldn’t find the right piece of furniture that would give me access to the AC unit when I need it but conceal it when I’m not using it and also give me a place to put my shoes. So I gave up and came up
Small kitchen ideas: add an extra shelf in your upper cabinets
Small kitchens can be challenging when it comes to storage, but you can easily create more by adding a small extra shelf in your upper cabinets. I did this in my kitchen cabinets in just a few minutes and it made a huge difference in how much I can store in there! Here's a quick 1 min video on how I did it or below you have the step by step: Step 1: I cut a 1" x 3" pine wood board into 4...
IKEA bench makeover
Sometimes you can find great deals for used furniture at garage sales, on Craigslist or even at thrift stores. But they don't always work with your decor. I found an IKEA bench (STUVA) in very good shape at a the thrift store but it was very plain and needed a bit more character. I came up with this idea to cover the top of the bench with pine boards to make it look thicker and to give it the...
how to hide or replace vertical blinds
I’m not a fan of vertical blinds and they were everywhere in my LA apartment. I came up with a few easy ways to either hide them or replace them with curtains using
Add some sparkle to a plain mirror
My home office is set up in a very dark corner of my apartment living room so to brighten it up, I went looking for a mirror to hang on the back wall to reflect some light. I didn't want to spend a lot of money and it turns out IKEA had exactly what I needed: the KOLJA mirror. It was the prefect size (24" x 24") and the price was right at only $10 but it was so plain, it was calling for an...
Chair makeover with chalk paint
Welcome to my first DIY Basics video! For today’s quick project, I took an old chair I found at the thrift store for $8 and gave it a whole new look using chalk paint and kitchen towels.
Let’s get social!
CATEGORIES